Not Domestic
by Kelenloth
Summary: The Doctor isn't sure if his new life is the most domestic thing he's ever seen or the least domestic adventure he's ever been on. All he knows is that he can't wait. A series of one-shots featuring the lives of TenToo and Rose Tyler.
1. Tyler Smith

A/N: I originally published this as a stand-alone story, and it is, but I've decided to turn it into a series of semi-related non-chronological one-shots concerning the more domestic (or not so domestic) side of 10.5 and Rose's lives together. I'm already working on a handful more one-shots to be added. I'll try to keep them consistent to each other, but each will also stand on its own, so feel free to read chapters out of order :P. I'm publishing them in order as written, not chronologically. "Not Domestic" is the series name. Individual story names will be the chapter headings. Enjoy!

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><p>The Doctor breathed out a deep sigh. His breath appeared before him in a cheery cloud before blowing away in the wind. Today was the day. He still could hardly believe this was happening.<p>

Nervously, he rubbed his hand behind his ear for the billionth time, trying and failing to stop himself from pacing back and forth. He breathed the crisp winter air in deeply once more and tried to make himself appreciate the beautiful white world laid out before him. This, too, was in vain.

"You alright?" a familiar voice came from behind him. The Doctor wheeled around and tried to pretend like he was not startled. Peter Tyler leaned out of the door, fixing his tie with an eyebrow raised in question. "They told me you needed some air."

The Doctor gave a stiff nod and breathed in deeply once more. "I'm fine." He said, half to Pete and half to himself. He was. He was fine. He was exited. He wanted this. He wanted this more than anything else in the world. So why was this one of the most frightening things that he, the Doctor, had ever faced? He laughed stiffly at the memory of calling the 'domestic' boring, This was about as far from boring as he could possibly get. And yet it may or may not have been the most 'domestic' thing he would ever do. Or perhaps the least domestic adventure of his life. He didn't know anymore.

Pete continued to look on in question. He was not at all convinced, and in that he was right.

The Doctor brought both his hands to his face, slapping himself and breathing out hard once more. He fiddled with his bow tie and the edges of his suit jacket. He had to snap out of this. It was just so nerve wracking! He wanted this to be perfect. For her.

"It's almost time!" He could hear Jackie yell from inside.

"Come on." Pete held the door open for the Doctor.

He slipped inside and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, which was hard, since he was half of the reason they were all there. He still donned his converse; black this time, and completed with a full suit, and that annoying bow tie. Oddly, it was almost exactly what he wore his first time in 'Pete's word'. That seemed like eons ago now. So much had changed. He had changed. He placed his hand on his chest in an attempt to slow his fiercely pounding heart. Just one heart. It was still new to him.

Pete patted him on the shoulder as he left the room, going down the hall to be with Rose.

Rose. Just the word made him feel warm inside. Rose Tyler. Soon to be Rose Tyler-Smith. Or was he to become John Tyler? He could never remember which way that worked. Either way, he was to be hers, and she was to be his. It was not new to him, really. His heart had belonged to her since long before he had only one heart.

At first, he had complained about the whole idea of a wedding. Why did they need to make 'official' what they both already knew was true? He had basically proposed on the first day of his new life, at Bad Wolf Bay. "I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you if you want." And he meant it. He wanted to spend every moment of his one life with her. "I love you." He had whispered. After all that time, he was finally able to say it. After everything that happened, he moved into the Tyler manor, having basically nowhere else to go. And nowhere he would rather be.

His life on the slow path had been slower than he had ever imagined. But this time, he was alright with that. It was amazing what his new human nature taught him. With only one life to live, every split second mattered. Every beat of his heart. And every beat of hers.

After a while, The Doctor realized that although their love was already sworn, a real wedding would make Rose happy. And that's all he cared about. He was absolutely rubbish at weddings, especially his own. But this was different. This was for Rose. And also partially for Jackie, the Doctor realized with a laugh. He was sure that without her mother's very loud wishes, Rose would have settled for anything that made the Doctor happy. But this way everyone was happy, and no one was on Jackie's very dangerous bad side.

The music started in the other room.

"Ready Docta'?" Jake Simmons slapped a hand on his shoulder. With little social life outside of the new Torchwood, Jake and the remnants of the Preachers had become family friends of the Tylers, and Jake was The Doctor's best man.

"Ready as I'll ever be." The Doctor answered, fixing his tie one last time. The door opened in front of him.

Trying to look calm and confident, The Doctor walked forward into the small chapel sanctuary from the side door. He swallowed hard as he looked around the room. He did not know every face in the crowd, as some of them were Pete's business associates and Jackie's friends. He smiled at the faces he did know. Many of the Preachers and members of Torchwood were there. The current President, Harriet Jones, was also in attendance. The Doctor could think of so many others that he wished could be with him for this moment. But there were all locked in a different reality now. He tried not to think about it as the ceremony began.

For the most part, the proceedings were a blur. Several people walked down the aisle in an order he had not seen fit to memorize. Young Tony Tyler bore the rings, very proud that he was now old enough to be entrusted with such a task.

And then everyone else stood to their feet, and the Doctor's heart seemed to stop. There she was. His Rose Tyler. An enormous grin was spread across her face as she walked arm and arm with her father. Or step-father. No one really bothered with the technicalities now. Rose had never expected to able to walk down the aisle with her father, and now she had the chance. Perhaps some aspects of this parallel world were worth all of the pain.

The Doctor knew full well that more than a few aspects of this world were worth it. Rose was worth it. Her happiness in this new life, with her family and with him, no matter how domestic, was worth it. It was worth all of his regenerations and the rest of his life.

She was beautiful. Her flowing white dress made her look exactly like the princess she was, and her golden hair showered her in stunning beauty. But most importantly, she was happy. When she finally reached him at the end of the aisle, The Doctor had to fight with every fiber of his being to not take her in his arms and kiss her then and there.

After much other hullabaloo and happiness, most of which was ceremonial and unneeded in the eyes of the Doctor, and during which all he could do was bask in the loveliness of the woman beside him and think over all of their shared fond memories, they finally came down to their pledges and vows.

The Doctor turned and held Rose's hands in his own.

"John Noble Smith," The minister began in a thick Scottish accent. The Doctor and Rose both smiled at the name, knowing that it was of their own creation. Rose had had a great deal of fun introducing the Doctor into domestic life, starting with giving him a proper name. "Do you pledge to take Rose Marion Tyler as your lawful wedded wife, and in the presence of these witnesses do you vow that you will do everything in your power to make your love for her a growing part of your life? Will you love, honor, comfort, and keep her in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, forsaking all others and keeping yourself only for her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." The Doctor said confidently, a large smile upon his face.

"And Rose Marion Tyler, Do you pledge to take John Noble Smith as your lawful wedded husband, and in the presence of these witnesses do you vow that you will do everything in your power to make your love for him a growing part of your life? Will you love, honor, comfort, and keep him in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, forsaking all others and keeping yourself only for him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do!" Answered Rose, equally as excited as the Doctor.

After this, both of them repeated a very long passage that the minister read that amounted to their mutual confirmation and vow to love, hold, and cherish each other for better, worse, richer, poorer, sickness and health, and ended with "'Till death do us part." As the vow went on, The Doctor could not help but think over the better and worse day that he and Rose had already shared. It was truly a wonder that they were together at last.

At last, he took her wedding ring in his hand and addressed her with words of his own.

"Rose Tyler." He began, reminding himself not to cry. "The first day that we met, you saved my life and I saved yours. It seems that fate has tied us together ever since. Through all of time, space, and the void itself, you have held my hand when I needed it most. Through two regenerations and two dimensions, through the best adventures and the worst trials, you've stood by my side. And if it ever needed saying, I will say it again now. I love you. I have always loved you, and I always will. I was born to love you." He said with a smile. He knew he must have been confusing half of the people in the room, but he did not care. "I may only have one heart, but I give all of it to you." His single heart was beating violently, passionately inside his chest. And for once, it felt right. "I give you this ring as a symbol of our love and our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. With this ring, I thee wed." He told her, slipping the carefully chosen ring onto what he hoped was the correct finger. He could see the tears flooding her eyes, and was pretty sure that his own were about to fall. She would always be a miracle to him.

"John…" Rose stared, and then corrected herself. "Doctor." She said fondly. He smiled, even as the minister's brow tightened in question. "From the moment I met you, you have amazed me. You've shown me the wonders of all of time and space, and the truest form of love I've ever known. You once told me that more than anything else in life, everyone needed a hand to hold." She said, grasping his hand tightly. "I will always be there to hold your hand, and you will always be there to hold mine. Forever. They keep trying to split us up, but they never ever will." She said with a smile. This time he believed it with all his heart. "I love you. And I give you this ring as a symbol of our love and our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. With this ring, I thee wed." She said, slipping a golden band onto his hand.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister told them happily. "You may now kiss your bride."

And he did. With all the love in his heart, and with all of the joy in the world. Tears flowed freely from both of their eyes now. Neither of them could quite bring themselves to believe that all of this was happening. But it was. They held each other close for what seemed to be an eternity and only a moment, all at once. Both felt that if they let go they might be separated again. But when the moment was over, they both realized that their life together had only just begun.

"It is now my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Mr...er .._Doctor_… and Mrs. Smith!" The minister tried to make up for his earlier confusion. The Doctor and Rose laughed, both absorbed in thoughts of each other. Apparently she was to be Mrs. Smith after all, and he was not to be Mr. Tyler. He had no idea why this was, especially since his name was not Smith, but it no longer mattered.

With a meaningful smile, Rose held out her hand. The Doctor grasped it just as he had on the day that they first met.

"Merry Christmas!" He yelled as they practically ran out the doors of the church, hand in hand.

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><p>(Just another note: I've only ever attended one wedding in my life, and I was 8 years old... So sorry if I've just butchered the whole thing, this was all based on stuff from Google searches :P)<p>


	2. Happily Ever After

A/N: Re-posted with some minor edits and some new content - trying to make the story less Rose-centric, gave a bit more to the Doctor. Not sure how well it worked.

This story occurs some time _before_ the previous chapter, shortly after Rose and the Doctor's duplicate were left on Bad Wolf Bay. I told you they wouldn't be chronological.

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><p>"Why did he do it?" Rose Tyler looked listlessly across the great grey expanse before them. Sand, sea, and sky all melded into one big overcast horizon as far as the eye could see. She sat on the damp sand with her legs crossed and hugged herself slightly as the temperature lowered, the sun sinking lower in the sky to her left. Jackie Tyler paced somewhere behind her, trying to contact Pete and manage transport to get them back to London. But she didn't care anymore. She couldn't even think about London. All she could think about was him.<p>

"Do what?" The Doctor – or a man that looked just like him – sat down beside her. He crossed his legs in a similar fashion and wrapped his arms around himself like she did, if for no other reason than to let her know that she was not alone.

"He left us here." She told him without bothering to turn her gaze from the sea. "Why did he do it? He said you were him, you so tell me why." Her tone held more accusation than sympathy as she finally turned to look him in the eye, and was for a moment taken aback by how much he looked just like the Doctor. Her Doctor.

"Because he loves you." He told her simply, trying to ignore the sting of her words. It was not the answer she wanted.

"Then why couldn't I stay?" She sniffed, turning her eyes once more away from the perfect vision of the man she longed for in a vain attempt to hide her tears. All she wanted was to be back there – to be with him. But he had sent her away, back to the saddest beach in the world. And she could not figure out why.

"Because he _loves_ you." The man beside her said with more emphasis. Rose was getting tired of his conjecture, and his voice – so strikingly like _his_ – was not helping.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked sharply. She wanted to believe him – she wanted to know that the Doctor loved her. And she wanted the Doctor to be the man sitting beside her on the beach. But she had yet to decide if he was.

"Look at it this way: He knew that you had one human life to live, and so did I. He wanted you to be happy." The Doctor-like man leaned forward, hoping to catch her eye.

"But I would have been happy with him!" She turned back, trying to stay the flood of tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks. Beside her, the Doctor fought his own battle to keep tears away, as Rose's words hit him. He knew how she must feel – betrayed, lost, and confused - and she had every right to feel that way. He hoped that eventually she would see it the way he did; as a blessing, and not a curse. But for now, her denial still cut him to the bone, the pain in her eyes ripping into his single heart. He still loved her, but how could she ever accept him?

As Rose looked into his eyes, she could see him – The Doctor. All of him. Her Doctor. Here, with her, at Bad Wolf Bay. His eyes conveyed honesty above all else – honest emotion, honest meaning, and honest knowledge.

"Not forever." He replied gravely. "I've lived long enough, I know. People grow old and die, but I don't. I mean… he doesn't." He caught himself, now looking away and distracting himself with his hands in his lap. He fiddled aimlessly as he spoke, trying to distract himself from the pain of his own words. He still could barely believe his new biological changes, and even more so his new situation. "I…_He_ didn't want that to happen to you." He continued, looking up at last and hoping she would accept his apology of sorts.

"What do you mean?" Rose's brow furrowed as she, like always, looked to the Doctor for answers.

"He told you once… _I _told you." The Doctor spoke earnestly, looking into her eyes and still fighting tears. "You could spend the rest of your life with him. And yes, you would have been happy. So would he. But you're human, and he's a Time Lord." He had to look away again. "You would grow old and die, but he would not. And there would be nothing he could do but watch you fade away." He sniffed and looked back up into her eyes. "You could spend the rest of your life with him, but he could never spend the rest of his life with you. And…" He swallowed hard. "And it breaks his hearts."

This time it was Rose's turn to twiddle her thumbs, as she realized that she was not the only one heartbroken by the Doctor's departure.

The Doctor looked to her and hoped that she understood the actions of his former self, and could forgive him. He had not left her because he had wanted to. She had not done anything wrong. In fact, she had done everything right. She was fantastic. And he loved her.

"Did you ever wonder why he never told you?" The half-human, half-time-lord spoke up again. "All that time, he would never say it. He loved you, and he knew that you knew, but he could never quite say it." He said with the understanding that only one speaking from actual knowledge could; because the 'he' that he referred to was entirely himself.

Rose bit her lip as the other Doctor's words echoed through her mind: _Does it really need saying? _She knew that what this Doctor said was true, but she normally tried not to think about it. She had wondered about that before, but never quite figured it out. And the answer threw her off guard.

"It was because he was scared. I was scared." The Doctor's voice began to tremble, "So scared of loosing you; of watching you grow old and die, or be lost, or killed, or…" His breath caught in a sob, and he could not continue.

"... Doctor?" Rose whispered, taken aback, and placed a hand on his shoulder. As the name escaped her lips she realized again that he was, in fact, her Doctor. He must have been. As the pure, honest emotion of his words sank into her heart, she could feel that this truly was the same man.

"I love you, Rose." He repeated his earlier words strongly, looking up to her once more. "I can say it now. I don't have to be afraid." He smiled weakly, as the realization of his new life dawned on him. "I _can_ spend the rest of my life here, with you. And that's all I've ever wanted. That's what he wanted. We're the same man – and we both knew that if we had one human life to live, there was only one place we could ever spend it. He did this for both of us." He cautiously lifted his hand and gently placed it on the side of Rose's face. She leaned into its warmth, closing her eyes as she felt his touch and remembered how long she had waited, and how hard she had fought to be with him. Perhaps this was her chance. Perhaps he had not left her at all.

The Doctor smiled at last as he finished pouring out his heart."Our… Happily ever after." He added quietly. Rose's heart seemed to grow stronger at his words, as she too realized what their new life meant. The other Doctor's words still rang in her head: _He needs you. That's very me._ Perhaps the Doctor had his reasons after all. Perhaps they were good ones. Perhaps they were the best.

"He said it was because you were dangerous. You killed the Daleks. You committed genocide." Rose pointed out, although her tone now held no accusation.

"So did you." The Doctor reminded her quickly with the same matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, there is that. I hope that your attempt worked better than mine." Rose almost let out a laugh. "But about being human…I mean how human are you?"

"I really dunno. It's all new to me." The Doctor scratched his head just like he always did. Rose bit her lip once more as she realized how much she had missed that. It wasn't just him; it was everything about him: All those little things that she never quite noticed before, until he was gone. "I mean sure, I've got one heart: One life." The Doctor continued, placing his hand on the disturbingly silent right side of his chest. His tone was relaxed, but the reality was slowly dawning on him. He only had one human life, and then it was over. He would die. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He tried not to think about it as he finished answering, "It seems the only bits of him that I'm not are the wounds that he needed to heal after that Dalek hit him."

Rose gasped quietly as recalled that night, fresh in her mind. "Do you remember it?" She asked.

"I remember you." The Doctor replied in a far-off tone. "I remember running towards you – running like I've never run before. I remember hearing the awful sound of a Dalek firing, and panicking for a moment, thinking that I might never see you again." His brow wrinkled as the memories came flooding back. "I remember lying in your arms, thinking that if there was one last thing for me to see before I died, I was glad it was you." Rose blushed, but smiled for the first time since they had arrived at Bad Wolf Bay. "I remember standing up to regenerate... After that, I just remember waking up on the TARDIS floor. The next time I saw you was in the Vault." The Doctor finished.

"Did it hurt?" Rose continued her questions, "I mean last time –"

"Last time, I nearly had a neural implosion." The Doctor informed her in a very not-my-fault tone. Rose's smile grew a tiny bit bigger as he began to talk in technical terms she did not fully understand. Just like old times. "I was careless." He continued, "But this time, all that energy had time to settle down. Regenerating always hurts a bit, but the meta-crisis itself actually felt rather good: all of that energy. Donna activated and stabilized the process, and provided that extra bit of DNA that my hand needed." He raised his right hand up to examine it again with a silly grin. "So I am part human – part Donna, specifically. But only the aging bit as far as I can tell. Well, maybe a speck of her snarky wit. Maybe more than a speck." He smiled, his eyes searching the horizon as he thought over the events that had brought him to life. "Good ol' Donna." He murmured absentmindedly. He would miss her. He did not know exactly what had happened to her after she left Bad Wolf bay, but he could guess. And he was glad that this time it was not him that had to let her go. He wished her the absolute best in life; she deserved it.

Rose may not have been thinking about it, but he, too, had lost everything by coming here. He had lost so many good friends; Donna, Martha, Sarah Jane, and Jack, just to name a few. He had lost his TARDIS – at least for as long as it took for the new one to grow – and he had lost a great part of his life. But he had gained a life with Rose.

His mind snapped back to the present as her hand touched his, and he reminded himself that it was worth it. "But you are still… I mean, you're him." Rose scooted a bit closer.

"I'm him." He nodded. "I can recount to you every single one of our adventures, if you'd like. Shop window dummies to Daleks, and everything in between." He smiled. That smile. That same smile that would always, always make her smile back.

"So… what are we gonna do now?" Rose pulled herself across the sand to be even closer to the Doctor, until their shoulders were touching.

"Whatever you want, I suppose." The Doctor placed his hands on the sand behind him and leaned back slightly, looking up to her as she moved to turn towards him. "I mean… it's always been your choice. I know that I've changed. It's going to take a lot of getting used to. But what I said earlier was true." The tiniest hint of hesitation grew in his voice. "I've got one life – one human lifetime to live, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you… If you'd like."

"Doctor…" Rose blinked and simply stared at him for a moment, deciding at last if he was or was not her Doctor. But she could not deny it anymore. There never had been and never would be anyone more perfect for her than him. And as such, she decided that a bit of teasing was in order. "... Was that a proposal, or what?" She asked with a straight face, expertly hiding her laughter.

"What?" Color flushed the Doctor's checks and he sat straight up at once. "No… I mean… sort of? What kind of proposal? I mean, um…" He stuttered, before finally finishing in a humbled tone, "Do you want it to be one?"

Rose chewed her lip once more as she carefully considered his words. "…Maybe." She said shyly. She had never expected this day to come, but she had secretly dreamed of it for some time.

"Then maybe it was." He answered with another large smile, wrapping his arm about her waist and scooting even closer. He had never given a proper, honest proposal of marriage before; he had never given himself the chance. He had not had a family since nearly a thousand years ago when he was a very young Time Lord on Gallifrey, with no knowledge of humans or earth. But he long for the chance to be a part of one again. "What do you think? Is one lifetime long enough?"

Rose looked into his eyes once more and knew that if there was one person she could spend a hundred thousand lifetimes with, it was him. But one lifetime would just have to do. "You won't mind the everyday life?" She asked.

"Not if it's with you." He answered. "Besides, the new TARDIS will grow faster than you think." He added with a smile.

"Still, It seems a bit… _domestic_... For you." She smiled, remembering the difference in the man she had first met in the store basement and the man that sat with her now. But the change was good.

"I'll bet it's brilliant." The Doctor smiled. "Fantastic!" He called happily, once more reminding Rose that he really was every bit the man that she had known and loved for so long.

"Better with two." She told him with a smile.

For a few long, comfortable moments, the Doctor simply smiled back and held her close, thinking about how long he had waited to be with her, and how much of a miracle it was. A whole new life, and whole new world awaited them. But the best part was that they could once more discover it hand in hand, together. It was a greater gift than anything he had ever dreamed.

"Oh look, the stars are starting to come out!" He pointed to the darkening sky. As they began appearing overhead and the sun sank lower past the cloud-covered horizon, Rose and the Doctor lay on the cool beach, staring up at their beauty.

"You know… _Doctor_." Rose said his name with a special emphasis and pulled herself close to him, hugging his left arm as he pointed up at the stars with his right. She pressed her face warmly against his shoulder and snuggled comfortably against him. "I've always thought that if anyone in the universe deserved a happily ever after – it was you."

"Rose…" The Doctor turned away from the stars to gaze upon her face once more. "I've never had an ever-after before. Happily or otherwise. But now that I have one, I'm glad I get to spend it with you." He smiled He grinned warmly. "_That_ is a happily ever after indeed."


	3. A Striking Resemblance

A/N: This was just a bit of fun inspired whilst watching a Harry Potter Marathon one weekend. I will warn you - if you have not seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (that's the fourth one) do not read this chapter. It will only confuse you and spoil the movie's ending. In fact, it would be best if you were pretty familiar with the movie, as I don't describe it well enough to follow. In any case, this is NOT a cross-over, just another scene of every-day life for TenII and Rose. Probably the most "Domestic" I've written so far.

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><p>"Of all the things you could pick to do with your weekend…" Rose pushed a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear as she walked behind the sofa with a basket of laundry and paused to observe her husband's choice in programming. "<em>Harry Potter<em>, really?"

"What's wrong with that?" The Doctor looked up to her with a genuinely surprised expression. He sat slouched on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, the remote control in one hand and his sonic screwdriver in the other. He had been fiddling and tinkering with it on and off all day as he sat and watched a movie marathon.

"Oh come on, isn't that, ya know, a kids movie?" Rose put the laundry basket down on the back of the couch and raised an eyebrow.

"Harry Potter?" The Doctor looked back to the screen as he considered. "Nah." He said, "It's about love, and adventure, and mystery. Good versus evil, all that." He looked back with a happy grin.

"Magic." Rose added with a smile, placing a fond hand on her husband's face. "It does sound like your type of thing."

"Come, sit." The Doctor motioned to the spot next to him, scooting over slightly.

Rose laughed and took her seat beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist as he placed his around her shoulders.

"You're just in time for the good part." The Doctor informed her. "They're about to enter the maze."

"I'm not sure I've seen this one. What are there, seven?" They watched as a large crowd of high-schoolers cheered for Harry, as he and a few other characters Rose did not recognize had a conversation.

"There will be eight movies, but this is number four." The Doctor turned the volume up slightly.

"Ug, who is he? He's ugly." Rose commented as Mad Eye Moody came on screen.

"Yeah, just wait, he gets worse." The Doctor smiled. He knew these movies a little too well. "I actually went to the premiers of all eight movies. All in one night!" He said with a laugh. Currently, only seven of the eight movies had been released, but that did not mean anything if you had a time machine.

"You're such a child." Rose told him with a laugh. She leaned up against him and kissed his cheek.

"And proud!" He answered with a broad smile. "Oh, shh shh – They're going in." He brought her attention back to the screen.

Rose watched as Harry entered a tall, dark hedge maze. The camera filter switched to a dark blue, and an eerie fog filled the air as the camera panned up to show the extent of the labyrinth. "Wow." She commented a bit dryly. "That's dramatic."

As the movie went on, Rose continued to observe how creepy the scene was, and jumped slightly each time the bushes came alive and attempted to eat someone. By the time the commercial break arrived, she was subconsciously clutching the Doctor's arm slightly.

"Still think it's a kid's movie?" He asked with a chuckle. Rose laughed and released his arm when she realized that she was holding onto it quite tightly.

"Maaaybe…" She said, trying not to say that she was wrong.

"Oh, just wait. It gets scarier. And better." He told her. "In any case, there's nothing wrong with kid's movies. 'A story worth reading' – or in this case watching – 'only in childhood is not worth reading even then.'" He quoted happily. "Kids are some of the most brilliant people on the planet!"

"Mm-hm." Rose took the Doctor's hand, "I'm sure ours will be the most brilliant of all." She smiled warmly and placed her husband's hand on her stomach, which bulged slightly in evidence of her pregnancy.

The Doctor smiled and rubbed his hand fondly over her and the little life inside her. "I'm sure." He leaned down and kissed her. He could feel her smiling against his lips, and he was sure she could feel his own happy grin. This truly was their happily ever after.

"I love you." He whispered as they pulled away. He could not believe how long it had taken him to say that the first time. Now it was one of his favorite things to say. And still one of her favorite things to hear.

"I love you too." She answered, squeezing him in a one armed hug and placing her head on his shoulder. "Oh, it's back on!"

The two turned their attention back to the screen, sitting snugly with the Doctor's chin atop Rose's head, and her fingers comfortably entwined with his.

The scene opened in a graveyard, and the Doctor explained that it was a reference to a nightmare Harry had earlier in the film. He did his best to explain the basic plot so far as the scene went on. Rose jumped when Cedric was murdered in a bright flash of green light, and expressed her extreme disgust at Voldemort's inhuman form and lack of nose.

"I think we saw an alien a bit like him once." She said as his final form was revealed.

The Doctor laughed, "Yeah, I'll bet they were just as bent on world domination, hhm?"

"Aren't they all? Still- " Rose hugged him. "That's why we've got you." She said fondly.

"And you!" He added. "Defending the earth." He said with a smile, "It's better with two." He kissed his wife's forehead lightly.

"You know, sometimes I think they could make a movie about us." Rose giggled. "Or a TV show! The continuing adventures of The Doctor and Rose Tyler."

"Yes, a regular after school special." The Doctor laughed. "That'd be a laugh!"

"There sure is a lot of screaming in this film." Rose observed, turning back to the movie as Harry let out the longest scream yet, this time joined by the Dark Lord.

"Pick up your wand, Potter! Get up! Get up!" Voldemort yelled from the screen as the scene went on.

"Ooh, ouch." Rose commented. She could feel the Doctor stiffen against her when the cruciatus curse was used, and when Harry was flipped over and tossed aside by his own attempt to fight back. His heart went out to those who suffered, even those on the screen. They watched the continuing scene in silence, until the bright explosion of the two on screen wizard's spells lit a glowing globe around them.

"Explain." Rose instructed simply. The Doctor did his best to explain the technicalities of Harry Potter magic, and did a decent job at it as well.

"You _could_ read the books." He told her at last, as the movie went back to commercial.

"Yeah, but I've got you to tell me all about it! And we've got the Tardis. And soon the baby. No time to read." She snuggled against him.

"Well, I'm glad we have time for this." He said. After so long in his half-human body, and this half-human life, it still surprised the Doctor how much the 'domestic' life which he had previously rejected so strongly was, in fact, so enjoyable, even to him. After nine hundred years of running, he finally had a chance to slow down and simply walk, hand in hand, with someone he loved. He had a family. It was something he had missed for a very long time.

The commercials and the movie continued, with Rose pressed comfortably against the Doctor, with her hand on his chest and his on her shoulder.

"Who is he again?" Rose asked as Mad Eye dragged Harry away from the others.

"Uhh… A teacher." The Doctor answered, not wanting to give the ending away just yet.

"I don't like him." Rose answered quickly. The Doctor smiled at her judgment, as the movie continued and she was proven right in her distrust.

"Oh my gosh, is he a… a death eater?" Rose said when Moody began to turn against Potter.

"Mm-hm. Just wait." Her husband answered with a nod.

"That is disgusting!" Rose looked away as the fake Mad Eye's face began to distort and melt. Finally, a whole new man appeared in the now much-too-large clothes. He lurched forward and creepily licked his lips like a snake, then screamed like a madman, jumped at Potter, and had to be held back by the others.

"Woah…" Rose stared, suddenly enthralled by the screen.

"What?" The Doctor's brow furrowed in question as he looked quickly between Rose and the screen. "_What_?" He repeated more emphatically when she did not respond.

"That guy-" Rose sat up and leaned closer to the screen.

"That's Barty Crouch Junior. He's the real death eater, he-"

"He looks just like you."

"WHAT?" The Doctor exclaimed, himself sitting up and fixing his eyes on the screen.

"I'll be welcomed back like a hero!" Barty Crouch Jr. cried out in a voice that Rose found strikingly familiar, but at the same time, completely different than the one she knew.

"Pause it! Pause it!" She told the man beside her. He fumbled with the remote in the dark for a moment before finding the button and being thankful for their digital video recorder. He managed to pause it on the death eater's face just as Snape pressed his wand into the psychopath's cheek.

Rose looked back and forth between the Doctor and the man on the screen. "That's just creepy." She said with a laugh. "I mean he doesn't have your hair, and he's got a bit more beard, but really…"

"That is NOT what I look like." The Doctor affirmed strongly, looking over the sweaty, unkempt face of the deranged and over-all dark and creepy man. Barty's tongue was sticking out and his eyes held a light that the Doctor hoped had never entered his own eyes.

"No, you're much more good looking." Rose reassured him, placing a hand on the side of his face.

"I'm glad." He smiled.

"But still, you have to admit it's a little weird." Rose sat back at last but still stared at the man on the screen.

"Well, I promise that I've never gone back in time to act this role. Yet." The Doctor joked. "You never know…"

"Haha!" Rose laughed loudly. "You? Doing that? Oh, that'd be too much. I'm not sure you could pull off a creep like him."

"You don't think I could do the tongue thing?" The Doctor laughed, doing his best impression Barty's signature gesture. He did it frighteningly well, but still Rose's only reply was a raised eyebrow and a smile that verged on laughter. "Yeah, maybe you're right." The Doctor pushed play and the scene switched to Cedric's funeral and the film's conclusion.

"You're too nice." Rose reinforced her theory with another kiss on his cheek, which he returned in a like manner.

"Still, could be fun." He smiled.

"Yeah, well, we can go back and try it later, when's the next movie coming on?" Rose turned back to the TV.

"'Just a kids movie', hmm?" The Doctor questioned with a sly grin.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Ok, maybe not."

The Doctor smiled smugly. "Told you."

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><p>AN: If for some reason you didn't get it: The Tenth Doctor and Barty Crouch Junior are both acted by the wonderful David Tennant. Also, the quote the Doctor says about reading and childhood is by C.S. Lewis, my favorite author.


	4. Bananas and Pears

A/N: This is just a short, silly little chapter I wrote a while back and thought I deleted. I know that the last two have been kinda light and not serious, but I promise my next chapter will be more meaningful (it's already written). Also, I've gone back and edited "Happily Ever After", as I was unhappy with how one-sided it was. I needed a bit more Doctor in there. ALSO I may end up moving my seperate one-shot "Gone Awry" into Not Domestic. Not sure how well it will fit, though.

EDIT: I know I said I had the next chapter written, but I've actually decided to post it separately a stand-alone one-shot (which should be live later today) because I feel it has a much different genre and focus than these (Just like my other separate 10.5/Rose one-shot "Gone Awry".) So if you'd like, go check the rest of my stories for it. _Allons-y_!

And yes I do read your comments and I've fixed all spelling errors you graciously found for me. Thanks!

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><p>"What <em>are <em>you doing?" Rose Tyler walked into the large kitchen of the Tyler Manor with her hands on her hips and her head cocked in curiosity.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows high as he looked up to greet her. Two of his fingers hung in his mouth, and an open jar of peanut butter was in this other hand. He froze, wide eyed, and took a moment to search for an excuse. "Nofing…" He mumbled without bothering to remove his fingers from between his teeth.

Rose said nothing, but a sly smile grew upon her face. "Wait until mum comes home…" She said with a laugh as she looked around. The kitchen was an absolute mess. It seemed that the Doctor had emptied half of the pantry and most of the refrigerator, which stood with its door ajar. Boxes, cans, and other packaging littered the granite counter and the kitchen table, most of them open.

The Doctor quickly screwed the lid back onto the peanut butter and placed it down. He had thought about the prospect of Jackie Tyler finding this mess, but had quickly forgotten it again as his experiments escalated.

"Soo… _what_ are you doing?" Rose asked again, shoving some of the food to the side and hoisting herself up to sit on the counter, facing the Doctor.

"Testing." He answered, trying to sound innocent, but still trying to get some of the peanut butter out of his mouth.

"Testing the food?" Rose asked. The Doctor was odd, she was the first to admit, but this was odd even for him. Surely he knew that his world was not _that_ different from his.

"No." He answered quickly, leaning against the counter beside her, "Testing me. This body. I don't know how much it's changed." He said. It had been less than a month since his 'birth' as a half- human, half-time-lord, fully unique being. He was almost sure the he was the exact same man, save for his hearts - or heart – and his regeneration ability – or lack thereof. But the little bit of Donna in him was being confusing.

"Oh?" Rose replied. "You're not just here for the sweets?" She said with a laugh, spotting an open bag of m&ms beside him.

"Uhhh…" the Doctor looked guiltily at the colorful bag. "That too. I mean…No! this is for science!" He said with a smile. Rose hopped down from the counter and grabbed herself a handful chocolates.

"So what have you learned so far, _scientist_?" She emphasized the last word with a silly grin.

"I've learned that I still like cereal –" he gestured towards half a dozen open boxes on the table.

"But only the sugary kind?" Rose observed which of the boxes were still open and which had been put back on the shelf with a knowing smirk.

"AND" The Doctor continued, trying to ignore her poking fun, "That I don't like peppers much, but celery is amazing." He smiled, thinking of the more 'healthy' things he had consumed to counter her argument against his sweet tooth.

"And peanut butter?" She gestured towards the jar.

"Is great! So is jam. And cheese. And bagels. Oh! And Bacon! And raisins…" The Doctor trailed off while Rose laughed. "I was about to move on to fruits." He finally told her.

"Oh? I'm surprised that the house still has any bananas left…" She smirked knowingly.

"I save the best for last." He smiled proudly.

"How about this?" Rose leaned over the small mountain of food and grabbed a golden-red apple from a bowl. The Doctor took it removed a large bite at once. He then chewed it thoughtfully, his expression giving Rose all of the information she requested. "Ehh… it's ok." He said at last. "Bananas are better."

"Of course." Rose answered him. She took the bitten apple and placed it on the counter after taking a bite of her own. "I like apples… ok, how about these. I'm not fond of grapes, but maybe you are…" She walked past him to the fridge and pulled out a bag of deep purple berries. The Doctor took a handful and popped them into his mouth one by one.

"Those are good!" he said, taking the bag from her and eating a few more. Rose rolled her eyes as she tried to remember what other fruit they had in the house. "Ok," she said, walking over to the kitchen table.

"Pears." She suggested, turning around and presenting him with a perfect, soft, green pear. To her surprise, his face instantly turned into a grimace.

"No." He said firmly and unequivocally. "I hate pears."

"Oh come on! You don't know that!" Rose protested with a laugh. "What about _science_?" she added.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Nope. Not happening."

"Oh please, pears are good." Rose took a bit of the tender, juicy fruit herself. The Doctor could not help but stick his tongue out in disgust. Rose laughed, and presented him once more with the delicious green fruit. "Maybe you'll like them?"

"I don't think so-"

"Oh come on, you have to!" she moved closer to him, looking up into his eyes. The Doctor sighed s she placed the sticky, bitten fruit in his hand. "Just try." She said.

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor did as he was told. However, the second the bitter-sweet juice passed his lips, he regretted it.

"Blech!" he protested. "How do you eat this?" Rose laughed loudly as he shoved the pear back into her hands and went to the sink in an attempt to wash his mouth out. "I can't stand those!"

Rose tossed the half eaten pear in the trash after taking another bite, and came to the Doctor's side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I want a banana…" He whined like a child, sticking out his bottom lip slightly. "Bananas are good."

Rose laughed once more and patted him on the back. In a moment, she returned from the fridge with her arms full. "I hid this in the back…" She said as she returned to the counter. In her arms were two containers of ice cream, and on top was a bunch of bananas.

The Doctor's face lit up immediately. "Sundaes!" He cheered like a schoolboy. "I'll get the whipped cream!"

A moment later he and Rose were making a pair of banana splits, with ice cream and sprinkles and fudge. They had no cherries, so Rose jokingly put a large grape on top of the Doctor's tower of whipped cream.

Just as the pair of them sat down to their mid-day snack, the moment that they both had forgotten to fear arrived.

"What in the name of – " Jackie Tyler walked in the kitchen door. "What did you DO?"

Both of the trouble makers stopped with their spoons in their mouths. "Uhh… nofing." Came the muffled reply.


	5. Not Only in My Dreams

A/N: Ok, so I totally thought I had posted this a few days ago, but i got distracted by HARRY FREAKING POTTER, soooo... sorry about the delay. This is the most shamelessly romantic fic of this series, but I give you fair warning: This IS a Christmas story. Yes, I know that it's the middle of July. Read it now and then come back and read it again in about five months, I don't care. My Doctor Who bunnies LOVE Christmas, and I couldn't wait that long to write it. Also: I am working on the next chapter, but it may take a while as my main focus right now is on an angsty DW chapter fic featuring none other than the Master. Hopefully that will make its way online soon! Now on with the holiday tale!

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><p><em>Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King!<em>

Holiday music floated peacefully from the stereo speakers. The Doctor smiled, sitting comfortably on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table and a good book in his left hand, of which he was reading aloud. His right arm draped fondly over Rose's shoulder beside him as she leaned her back comfortably against him, listening as the Doctor read to her, with a blanket wrapped snugly around her and a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

The Doctor smiled. He loved Christmas more than any other day of the year. He had visited so many Christmases in his TARDIS that one would think he would be used to them by now, but he never was. Every Christmas was special; especially now that he only had one life to live, and only so many Christmases to go with it. However this Christmas was especially special: It was his first Christmas as a married man. (Besides last year when they had been wed on Christmas day, but that did not count as far as the Doctor was concerned.) This Christmas, he would not run off to fight any aliens – unless they came to fight him – and he would not skip forward in time to the 'big day', although it was a whole week away. He would simply sit and enjoy the pleasant anticipation and festive mood that the whole world shared in this most joyous time of year.

"'I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time.'" He read aloud from his book, _A Christmas Carol_, by Charles Dickens. "'A kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.'" He smiled. Dickens always had the best way with words, and he described Christmas exactly as the Doctor felt it. However it still felt odd to him to be a part of the human race that were 'fellow passengers to the grave' as Dickens said.

Rose smiled contentedly as she leaned back against him, her head at rest upon him shoulder. Falling asleep to her husband's voice as he read accompanied by the soft music that filled the room, she thought back to the time that they had met Mr. Dickens himself, so long ago. It had been her first trip back in time, and she remembered it well.

The Doctor thought back to the same time; their second ever trip in the TARDIS. It seemed lifetimes ago now, and for him it was, but he remembered it clearly. Even as a time traveler, he felt honored that he had been able to meet the great man, and tell him that he was his 'number one fan', despite Dickens' confusion at the term. He remembered walking arm and arm with Rose through the fresh snow in old Cardiff; it was their first Christmas together.

Blessed peace settled over the couple as they sat snugly together for what might have been minutes or hours. The Doctor continued to read aloud, the music continued to play, and Rose continued to slowly drift to sleep to both enchanting sounds, leaning comfortably against her husband's shoulder with her eyes closed and her nearly empty mug nestled in her lap.

As the Doctor turned the page, the next song came up on the shuffled Christmas music playlist that he had put on.

_I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do..._

Only half awake, Rose's brow knotted as a sudden memory filled her mind: She was hugging herself tightly with her knees pulled up to her chest. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her face, and she made no effort to stop them. She remembered sobbing and staring blankly off into the darkness of the night. It was Christmas Eve, and he was gone. Forever. _'Rose Tyler-' _his last words still rang in her head; they would haunt her dreams.

Back on the couch, Rose's eyes flew open, but as the song continued her memories only grew stronger.

_And although I know it's a long road back, I promise you:_

With motion so sudden that it made the Doctor jump and almost fall over, Rose sat up, snatched the remote control from the arm of the couch, and skipped to the next song before leaning back once more and pretending that nothing had happened.

The Doctor could not help but stop and stare. As she settled back against him once more, he sat for a moment in silence until he could stand his curiosity no more.

"What was that about?" He asked gently, shutting his book and turning his full attention to her, but trying to still seem relaxed.

"I don't like that song." Rose said in short, taking a sip of her now room-temperature chocolate.

He waited a moment longer, considering whether he should push her on the subject or not. She obviously did not wish to discuss it, but he somehow felt he should know. "Why not?"

Rose did not answer him right away but kept her eyes down on the mug in her lap, twiddling her thumbs and biting her lip. "Because…" She began, but stopped short. She could not tell him; she wanted to simply forget and move on.

"Because it brings up bad memories?" The Doctor asked quietly as he thought about the song to which she had reacted. Rose's head shot up at his words, proving that his insight had been correct. She sat up and turned to him, and he could see the tears that were just beginning to fill her eyes.

"Yes." She whispered, but said no more. They were both thinking the exact same thing now: Of their long and painful separation. Rose's mind drifted back to her first Christmas alone in Pete's world. This same song had come on the radio, and she had cried herself to sleep. She did not want to think about it: He was here now, and that was all that mattered. They should not have to worry about the past any more, but still she could not think of anything else whenever she heard that song. "Because you never were…" She finally mustered up the courage to say.

The Doctor's eyes filled with sympathy as Rose struggled not to cry. He wanted nothing more than to go back in time and take all of her pain away, but he knew that even with the TARDIS, he could not. Nevertheless, he would do his utmost to help heal the pain now. "But I am now." He turned to her, putting down his book and taking off his glasses. He faced her fully, both of them sitting sideways on the couch turned towards each other, and raised his hand to gently tuck a stray strand of her golden hair back behind her ear. "And I will be- forever. I promise." He felt that the song itself would give the best explanation of his words.

The Doctor reached into his chest pocket and pulled out his 'secondary remote'. Aiming his sonic screwdriver at the iPod player, he made the music switch back to the song Rose had skipped. She watched him somewhat indignantly, but he smiled kindly back and wrapped his arm around her as the music began to play.

_I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do. And although I know it's a long road back, I promise you…_

"I'll be home for Christmas." He sang along sweetly, pulling Rose closer to himself. "You can count on me." He told her, looking into her eyes and seeing through the tears that now threatened to fall from them. Rose bit her lip as she heard him say the words that had grieved her so much whenever she thought of him. Because before now, they were never true.

"Please have snow," The Doctor smiled warmly and leaned forward to kiss her right eyelid gently as she shut it, a single tear escaping under his lips. "And mistletoe," the song went on, and he kissed her other eye just as gently. "And presents 'round the tree." He pressed his lips to her forehead, and Rose at last smiled at his words. As he held her, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him in a tight hug.

"Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams…" The Doctor pulled her into an even tighter embrace and held her warmly against his single heart. She sobbed softly against his chest, but this time, it was out of joy. He was home. And so was she.

"I'll be home for Christmas…" The Doctor continued to sing, laying back on the arm of the couch and holding Rose comfortably on top of him. He rubbed her back gently and closed his eyes, wishing that this moment might last forever. She sniffed and hugged him and wished the same, as his words washed over her like an ocean of beautiful wondrous relief. He smiled and pulled her back slightly as the last line of the chorus came. "_Not_ only in my dreams." He told her, changing the lyrics to fit what he meant. For song long, it had been only in his dreams. Now his dreams were becoming reality.

Rose smiled, leaning up and kissing him on the lips. He could taste her tears, but he could feel her smile. "Thank you, Doctor." She whispered as she pulled away.

"Come on." He stood up and offered her a hand as the music continued to play. Rose raised an eyebrow in confusion, but took his hand and followed. As she stood to her feet, the Doctor pulled her in close and placed his right hand behind her shoulder, raising her right hand in his left. Her left arm came to rest upon his, and she smiled as he began dance.

_I'll be home for Christmas. You can count on me._

The tempo quickened slightly as the second chorus began, and the Doctor lead Rose in a simple foxtrot. She laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. They had not danced like this since their wedding reception, almost a year ago. She surprised herself by remembering the steps, and thought with a laugh that they should do this more often.

The Doctor smiled to hear her laugh and continued to sing along, reaffirming his promise to her as they danced. He had been away for far too long, for far too many Christmases. But he was home now. He placed his chin above her head and hugged Rose close as they rocked back and forth to the music.

_Please have snow and mistletoe and presents 'round the tree_.

By the end of the song they were barely dancing anymore but simply holding each other tight, soaking in each other's warm embrace. Snow, mistletoe, and presents aside, they were together, and nothing could draw them apart.

_Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams_

The Doctor pulled away from Rose just enough to see her face once more, and his hand moved to gently wipe away her tears.

"I'll be home for Christmas." He whispered as the song came to a close. "And not only in my dreams."


	6. Just a Dream

A/N: This story was meant to be a sort of other-side-of-the-coin story to my last one - "Not Only In My Dreams". However, for those of you who have read any of my other stories, this one will probably sound a LOT like both "Just Sleep" and "No One Can Take Them Away", and I'm sorry about that. I don't mean to be unoriginal or re-use my own ideas, but in truth I did not write this to be original, I wrote it because my plot bunnies would NOT leave me alone about it. Oh, and remember that these aren't chronological - this one occurs some time before chapter 1. Enjoy...

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><p>The Doctor was running; faster and harder than he had ever run before. Desperately shoving one foot in front of the other, his eyes locked onto his goal. "Hold on!" He tried to shout, gasping in shallow, ragged mouthfuls of air as his tired lungs screamed for oxygen. He had to make it.<p>

"Doctor!" He could hear her calling out to him in desperate fear. Her voice was growing more and more faint.

"Rose!" He shouted back, still struggling to force his aching legs onward. He stumbled and fell to the ground. "Hold… on…" He struggled to cry, clutching his chest in pain. His single heart was beating faster than it had even beat before; fighting to the point of collapse.

Looking back up into the bright light before him, he cried out in effort and forced himself to his feet once more, throwing himself forward and miraculously staying upright. He reached out before him as his weak legs carried him foreword, but he knew that he was too late. He was always too late.

The light faded as he finally reached his goal, and her voice faded with it. He crashed back onto his hand and knees. "No." He moaned, still gasping for breath. He had failed. Again. "NO!" He shouted in anguish, tears streaming freely down his face. Crumbling to the ground, he did not even try to stop himself from sobbing her name. He had lost her. She was gone.

The image was still burned deep into his mind. He could see her, even now, doing her best to save the world. She smiled at him as the doomed Daleks and Cybermen flew past. They had done it. They had won. But then the unthinkable happened. The lever began to slip and the portal began to close. He must have done something wrong. It must have been his fault. He knew it must have.

She was so brave: Letting go of her only lifeline just to make sure that the portal remain open. She locked it, but soon began to slip towards the void.

"Hold on!" He had called out helplessly, gripping his own hand hold tighter. "Rose hold on!" He had shouted, reaching out. But he could not reach. He wanted to leap out and save her, whatever the cost. He wanted to die or be pulled into the void himself, if only he might save her from the same. But her could not. He had not. And now, no matter how many times he relived this nightmare, he could never change this moment. He could never make it right.

He could hear her terrified scream as she fell, as if in slow motion, towards the void. He screamed in agony as he watched her: again and again the memory replayed itself in his mind. And there was nothing he could do.

Her father had come just in time. He could still remember the look of shock and despair on her face as he caught her and she turned to see the Doctor for the last time. He had never even gotten to say a proper good bye. He had never gotten to tell her.

Terrible memories continued to float past his mind's eye. He had promised her the world; he had promised her forever. And he had failed her utterly. It broke his heart. Weeping loudly, he cried out her name.

"Rose…"

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"Rose…" A faint murmur echoed through the hall. Rose stopped and looked around. Dark, eerie shadows filled the long hallway and thick silence hung in the still air. She could have sworn that she had heard something. She waited a moment in the tense quiet but heard nothing more. Running her fingers wearily through her blonde hair and sighing, she began shuffling tiredly back to her room once more.

She was having trouble sleeping, as she often did, and had turned off the television moments ago and dragged herself back upstairs. The house was dark, and the faint moonlight that peeked in through the blinds did little to illuminate it, but she needed no help navigating. She had spent many a sleepless night watching whatever happened to be on cable and trying to distract herself from the fact that she could not sleep. It normally worked, but this night it only made her eyes tired, but her mind no more at rest.

She yawned once more and placed a hand on her bedroom door to push it open when she heard the noise again.

"No…" A soft moan came from down the hallway. "Rose…" She thought she heard whispered.

She had definitely heard something this time, and she knew she must investigate. That sounded like the Doctor's voice. Temporarily forgetting her sleep for sake of finally having something to do, she cautiously made her way to his bedroom door three doors down the hall from her own. She stopped outside it for a moment and listened. She heard another mumbled word and decided to go in.

Carefully pressing open the tall door, she peeked her head into the Doctor's dark room. He slept with the window open, but even the starlight seemed darkened tonight, and did little to brighten the inky blackness that seemed to hold the Doctor captive.

"No…" He mumbled in his sleep again and turned his head quickly to one side, breathing hard. Rose silently slipped through the door, not bothering to close it behind her. The Doctor moaned and twitched, his breath coming in short gasps. He was obviously trapped in a bad dream, and Rose bit her lip as she considered whether she should wake him.

Almost stubbing her toe and tripping over whatever littered his bedroom floor, she at last came up beside him. Even in the cool room, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his sheets were tangled in a mess around him. He struggled against unseen chains and tossed back and forth, his eyes darting behind their sleep-closed lids.

"Rose…" He whispered her name again, turning once more and kicking at his sheets.

"Doctor?" Rose whispered hesitantly, but he made no response. She leaned carefully over him and grasped his shoulder. "Doctor, wake up." She instructed quietly, but he could not hear her. He shrugged her hand away and rolled onto his side, his brow knotting.

"Doctor!" Rose whispered more fervently, grabbing his shoulder and rolling him back towards her. His reactions grew more frantic as his dream worsened with every attempt she made to save him from it. "_Doctor!_" Rose called more and more loudly, shaking him at first gently, then more roughly as he struggled against her. His dreams held him fast; they would not release him so easily.

"DOCTOR!" Rose practically yelled, grabbing both of the Doctor's shoulders and shaking him awake. Worry was etched in her face just as pain was etched in his own. She did not know what kind of battle raged on in his mind, but she knew she had to pull him from it.

"ROSE!" The Doctor cried out as he finally awoke, lurching bolt upright and gasping her name. Rose jumped back at his swift motion, her eyes wide with fear, and he did not see her right away.

As his eyes flew open, all he could see was more darkness. The Doctor stared into the black void before him for a moment, struggling to remember where he was. As the dream faded before his eyes he was confronted with its reality once more. It was true. He had lost her. She was gone. A single tear fell from his vacant eyes as he stared into the empty room.

"D-Doctor?" Rose whispered his name, reaching out a frightened hand to his shoulder.

He turned to her suddenly at the sound of her voice. His breath caught at the sight of her face and his eyes opened in disbelief, as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"Rose?" A nearly inaudible whisper escaped his lips as his mouth fell open in shock. Rose was taken aback by the barren, hallow look in his eyes. She watched them slowly fill with wonder as he raised his hand carefully and placed it gently on the side of her face, praying that she was more than just another dream.

"I'm here." She reassured him, placing her hand over his own and pressing it to her face. The Doctor could only stare, amazed, into her eyes. All power of motion seemed lost, and his heart seemed only now to beat again. Memory slowly flowed back into his mind and he recalled all that had happened since that fateful day. He was here now, and she was with him.

He tried to choke out her name once more, another tear falling from his eyes, but he could not manage to speak. "Sshh." Rose whispered, placing her hand gently on his face. "You're ok. I'm here. It was just a dream." She sat down beside him on the bed.

In a flash, she found herself wrapped in his arms. She gasped slightly as the Doctor pulled her into a tight hug, pressing his face into her shoulder and holding her close. His embrace was strong but at the same time desperate for reassurance. He held her as if she might fade away at any moment and be lost once again. "Rose…" He struggled to whisper "I love you." He said, pressing his face into her hair. He had to tell her, even though she already knew. He had to tell her just in case he never got the chance again.

"_Shhh…_" Rose whispered again as she returned his embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and rubbing his back gently. "You're alright. I love you too." She did her best to reassure him. She could feel him nodding weakly against her and sniffing back tears. She pulled him back for a moment to look into his eyes. They contained a war between hope and despair, and she could not yet perceive the victor.

Rose almost began to cry herself with what she saw in the Doctor's eyes. This was not the Doctor she was used to. He was always so strong, so confident, so brave. He always knew what to do. To hear him sobbing her name broke her heart. She brought her hand to his face once more and did her best to wipe away his tears, but more came to replace them. "You alright?" She asked quietly, despite having reassured him of it moments before. He nodded, sniffing, but she doubted him, no matter what she herself had just said.

She took his shoulder and gently laid him back down on the bed. He allowed her to, but his eyes never left hers, and he refused to release her hand. He would not let her go again.

Scooting over slightly, he made room for her on the bed beside him in a silent request for her to stay. He looked up at her like a small child hoping that his parent will come and comfort him during a terrible storm.

Rose slipped under the covers beside him, still very worried for the Doctor's newest emotional trauma. It must have been a terrible dream.

Before she could even fully lie down, the Doctor had caught her up in his embrace once more, reaching out in desperate need of comfort and security and wrapping his arms about her shoulders and back. He pulled her close in perhaps the tightest hug she had ever received.

"I'm sorry…" He sobbed, pressing his face into her shoulder once more. "I'm so sorry!" He cried, shaking and quivering against her as tears began to stream down his face in earnest. "I-I thought I'd lost you."

Rose closed her eyes and returned his warm embrace, simply allowing him to pour his heart out before her. He did not need to be sorry; he was forgiven, now and forever. She rubbed his back fondly and did her best to calm him down.

"It's ok. I'm here." She told him one more time. The Doctor could not believe the joyous revelation that washed over him with the truth of her words. He continued to sob against her shoulder, all of the emotion of their long separating rising in his heart once more. He had only one heart to contain it now, and it had broken long ago. He knew that if anyone could mend it, it was Rose. He tightened his arms around her even more and sat for a moment simply soaking in her embrace.

"I'm sorry." He said again, much more steadily, as he pulled away at last. He did not mean to crush her against him, but he suddenly realized that he had. But Rose did not mind. She smiled widely and pulled him back just as tightly and fiercely into her arms.

The Doctor was grateful of her embrace. "You've no idea how many times I've had that dream…" He whispered, struggling to remain in control of his own voice. "And woken to find that it was true."

Rose hugged the Doctor tighter, tears filling her own eyes. His life was truly tragic, and she did not want his memory of her to bring him any more pain. They were together now; that was all that mattered.

"I've had some nightmares of my own." She confessed quietly beside his ear, trying to console him. He tried to apologize again, but she would not allow it. "Don't be sorry." She told him. "You're worth it." She kissed his cheek fondly. The Doctor smiled at last.

"Thank you." He whispered, his voice still trembling slightly. He did not need to say for what; he wanted to thank her for everything.

"Thank _you_, Doctor." Rose smiled as she felt him relaxing at last. She continued to rub his back gently, and he held her close and rubbed hers as well. His rush of adrenaline was wearing off, and now, snuggled warmly in Rose's arms, he was melting back into the comfort of sleep at last.

For a long while they simply stayed in each other's embrace; both wishing that this beautiful moment might never end, and both slowly falling asleep in each other's arms. As his tired body released all of its tension once more, the Doctor rolled more onto his back, and Rose came to lay comfortably beside him. He held her right hand as it rested upon his chest and wrapped his other arm about her shoulders.

"Doctor?" She whispered after a long while, looking up at him.

"Hmm?" He replied, not bothering to open his eyes.

"I've been thinking…" She began, taking a second to think of his reaction to her next words. "We should get married." Rose said bluntly, yet in a completely relaxed tone. The Doctor's eyes sprang open at her words; he knew she was serious. For a moment, Rose thought she had upset him, but then she felt him laugh lightly beneath her.

"I kind of thought we already were." He smiled. Rose pressed herself up into a sitting position and simply stared at him in response. He nodded at his joke. "You mean properly." He returned to the matter at hand. "You want to marry old 'John Smith'?"

Rose smiled and nodded. It was a question that they both knew the answer to full well. "We don't have to make it anything fancy, if you don't want." She told him as she lay back down and snuggled against him once more. She knew that he did not 'do' domestics - he was half Time Lord after all - which is why she felt comfortable bringing the subject up on her terms instead of waiting for him to do as much. He had already promised to spend his life with her and she with him. They only needed to make it official.

"Rose." The Doctor smiled. "We can do whatever you'd like." He would not mind if she had the fanciest wedding in history; she deserved it. She smiled and hugged him once more, and he simply sat considering the whole notion. "I suppose you'd like me to propose properly; with a ring and all." He asked with a grin.

"You don't _have _to." Rose replied, but the Doctor's smile only grew.

"I've already got a few ideas." He told her. On Gallifrey, so long ago, he had had a family. But everything was very different from here. No matter how much he did not 'do' domestics, he knew that he would enjoy every aspect of marrying Rose.

Rose laughed to consider what his ideas might be. She could not even imagine, and thought she would leave it to be a surprise. "I'm sure you'll make my mother proud." She joked. The Doctor rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Good ol' Jackie." He laughed. "As long as she doesn't slap me in the face this time. And doesn't try to kiss me."

Rose laughed out loud and smiled widely. For a while longer they both sat in silence; dreaming and planning and simply enjoying each other's company.

"Rose?" The Doctor asked quietly after a long silence.

"Hmm?" She replied, not bothering to open her eyes.

The Doctor stared at the dark ceiling for a moment before asking his potent question. "How do you feel about kids?"


	7. Blessed and Beloved

Disclaimer: I know absolutely NOTHING about how hospitals and hospital procedure works, especially of this nature. I have NO experience in this area. This chapter probably contains more technical flaws and "That would never happen"s than anything I've posted so far. Please forgive this. Also I may edit this later like I edited Happily Ever After to make it less one-character-centric. I was debating whether I should make this part of Not Domestic or as its own story, but I really think it should go here.

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><p>The Doctor paced, running his fingers through his already disheveled hair. His single heart raced, pounding in his ears. He was practically shaking – no, he was shaking - in frightened anticipation. He muttered to himself under his breath; he should have seen this coming, he should have taken her somewhere safer, they should have been more prepared. Now there was no telling what could happen. Something could go wrong and Rose could di- No. He could not think like that. He would not allow it. She was fine. She was just in the other room, and they were all fine.<p>

The Doctor glanced back at the door again, his eyes darting around the room. He took in every inch of his surroundings, if for nothing else than to occupy his mind. Everything around him was white. The walls were white, the floor was white, the door was white. Not a brilliant white, mind you, just a plain one; one that might have been more light-blue or grey if the lighting was right, the kind of white-washed white that people paint when they do not know what other color to use. The door was still closed. He could see nothing through the small slightly obscured window in it. He vaguely noticed the other people in the room going about their business or waiting much more patiently than him. How could they sit so still at a time like this? How could they walk so calmly? He turned again and paced back.

In the corner he saw Jackie Tyler watching him, perhaps the only person in the room or the only person on earth that shared his terrible stress. She was, for once, silent. It was rather unnerving, actually: Jackie Tyler rendered speechless. She simply stared at him, and glanced as he did at the door. She bit her lip, and they waited.

The Doctor was more on edge than he had been in many, many years. A thousand scenarios ran through his head. He wished he could just _know_. The suspense was worse than any of the situations which he could think of – or at least worse than any of them which he would allow himself to contemplate. What was taking so long? Or perhaps these things always took a long time. He did not know. He only wished that he was with her. He needed to know that she was alright – that they were alright.

It was too much too fast. He knew that this day was coming; he had been awaiting it for some time. But it came so early, and then the doctors said that there were complications. Those were words that no one should ever have to hear. Maybe that was why he hated hospitals so much – no matter how hectic and frantic they were and how dire the situation the doctors always seemed so sickeningly calm. He looked around the room once more and then thanked heaven that at least _these_ doctors were calm, for he could not be, but he needed them to do their very best.

"Doctor?" The single word shattered the Doctor's rapid-fire thoughts. He spun around and found Jackie standing closer to him, her hand on his shoulder. For a short moment they simply stared at each other, both sensing the same desperate worry yet steadfast hope and even excitement in each other's eyes. "It'll be alright." Jackie said in short. The Doctor nodded, but superficially. He went back to his pacing. Two steps later he turned quickly back to her.

"Jackie…" He said, and she looked to him once more. "It'll be alright." He confirmed, with just as much worry and conviction as Jackie had possessed. He had to say it if for nothing else than to hear himself say it, because maybe saying it would make it a little more real. He had to tell her because he knew that she needed to hear it just as much as he did.

He knew that he should not be afraid. Hospitals like this did this every day, several times a day probably. They knew what they were doing and the statistics were all in his favor. But he could not help it. He realized in a flash that it was not the doctors he was worried about – it was not the hospital or the surgery or even Rose; he knew that she was strong. He was worried about _him_: About what _he_ meant. After all of it, he still felt so unprepared, so unworthy of _him_. He changed everything.

The Doctor had known that this was coming. He thought he had been prepared. He was wrong. He was not sure anyone could ever prepare for this.

"John Smith?" A friendly female voice could be heard across the room from the door. The Doctor did not stop pacing. Jackie reached out and caught him by the arm. He looked up to see a small woman clad in nurses' clothes holding a clipboard coming towards him. "John Smith?" she addressed him again.

"Oh! Um, yes…" He nodded and tried to pretend that he hadn't momentarily forgotten his name.

"Come with me." She smiled.

This was it. This was the moment that would change his life forever. It was just on the horizon now, and approaching fast. He walked behind the small nurse in a dream-like state lost somewhere between terror and euphoria. With each step the terror subsided and the joy grew, growing into the greatest joy that he had ever felt

The hallway seemed needlessly long, but he did not even think about that. He could not wait to see them. Jackie followed quickly behind him, but he was the first to come around the corner and see in the door.

His mouth fell open. His heart seemed to stop. Or perhaps it began to beat in earnest for the first time. Everything else in the entire world faded away into nothing as his eyes rested upon them at last, the most absolutely beautiful thing that he had ever seen: His Rose sat up in the bed, holding in her arms the newest addition to the world.

"Doctor." She called, smiling radiantly at him as he slowly made his way over from the door, lost in a trance-like fixation on the miracle in her arms. His entire world now lay wrapped in little blue blankets. As he at last reached his wife's side he lost the power to do anything but stop and stare, eyes wide and jaw hanging open in stunning, rapturous joy. "It's a boy." Rose smiled proudly as she watched her husband's reaction.

He took in every detail of the tiny person in her arms. He was so, so small. His little eyes were closed and he slept in his mother's perfect embrace.

"He has your eyes." Rose told him softly.

The Doctor at last regained the strength to take his eyes off of the child and turn to its mother. He at once leaned down and pressed a firm kiss on her forehead, taking her head in his hands. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, and for a moment he simply gloried in how amazing this woman that he held was. "I love you." He whispered against her. He would never stop saying those words. She truly was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Perhaps this new little one would be the next.

The boy shifted slightly and the Doctor looked back to him again. Rose smiled at the look of absolute wonder that was etched upon every line of the Doctor's face. "Do you want to hold him?"

The Doctor's jaw fell open once more. "Can I?" he stuttered. Rose laughed. The Doctor hoped that this child would have her laugh, and Rose hoped that he would have his father's smile. Both were stunningly beautiful.

"Of course." She shifted her arms underneath her son and the Doctor carefully took ahold of him. He bit his lip as for a moment a flash of fear flooded his heart. He felt as if he was handling something absolutely sacred: Something so pure and innocent and perfect that he should not even be allowed to see it, much less hold it in his arms. What if he messed it up? What if he failed? He already had so many times before, and he had already ruined so many lives. This would be different. It had to be. He swore then and there that it would.

As he took the boy into his embrace something within him melted. He wanted to jump up and down and spin around and sing. He wanted to fall to his knees and weep for joy. He wanted to pour his entire being into this child. He wanted him to know how special he was: How perfect, and beautiful, and extraordinary he was. He wanted him to know how much he was loved. He wanted him to know the joy that rushed through his father's veins. His father. The Doctor's mind halted at those words. He was a father.

For a moment he felt like he might faint, and then like he might fly, and then like he might actually die, but die in the most glorious and brilliant and joyful way possible; to die of sheer love for the child in his arms. He could not seem to speak. He could not even seem to breathe. But none of this mattered. All that mattered was that the little boy in his arms was breathing. His heart was beating. He was alive.

Rose laughed as she watched them. The Doctor swayed slightly back and forth, carrying the child in his arms like the most precious thing that had ever entered this world or any other world besides. He did not seem awkward around the child, but, Rose realized, reverent. He looked back up to her at last, and she found the same joyful reverence reflected towards herself.

"He has your nose." He smiled in practical disbelief, his eyes shining with the utmost delight. Rose's heart swelled in just as much love as his did for both the child and the man that held him.

The little boy was amazing; the perfect combination of his parents. Both of them could see above all else the aspects of each other in him. The Doctor was overjoyed in the knowledge that whatever happened to them some part of Rose Tyler would live on forever. And he realized, with a shock, that so would he. Sometimes he forgot about being mortal, but it made a huge impact on his life. The thought of dying, of growing old. In truth it scared him more than he could say. Even if it was with Rose, it scared him that both of them would age and eventually die. But perhaps he did not need to be afraid. Now he had a son: A legacy. A tribute to his life and his love for Rose Tyler, now Rose Tyler-Smith. A testament that would, in all hope, outlive and outshine them both.

The Doctor looked back down just in time to see a pair of tiny eyes open and focus immediately on his face. His breath caught slightly as he looked for the first time into his son's eyes, and it hit him once more: He had a son. Rose was right; he had his father's eyes. And in them he could swear that he could see more of time and space than he had ever seen before.

The Doctor, or 'John Smith', was such a unique being; part human and part Time Lord. But all of a sudden he was not alone. He was no longer the last of the Time Lords. He carefully sat down in the chair beside Rose's bed and took a firm hold on her hand. She smiled and watched him and rested. And after a long moment he moved to hand their son back to his mother. She accepted him into the perfect niche that her arms cradled him in, and he rested gently against her. The Doctor kissed his wife's brow once more, and then bent to kiss his son.

His mind drifted back to ages long, long ago. He had had a family, once. He had been a father. But everything on Gallifrey was so different. The looms, the academy, he hated it. But this – this was what fatherhood should be. He had lost his family in the Time War, either by the Dalek or his own hand, in the chaos he could not even be sure. He would not lose this one. Ever. As he held his wife and newborn son in his arms the loss that had haunted him for so long somehow seemed banished far away. It felt as if a great load that he had been carrying for so long that he did not even notice that it was there had been lifted off of his heart as he realized that he could do this. He could be a father. He was a father.

It had not been easy getting the boy into the world. He was several weeks pre-mature and the doctors had to perform an emergency caesarian section, which is why the Doctor had not been in the room. He hoped that Rose was alright. Her smile told him that she was. He at last remembered that Jackie Tyler was also in the room and had been watching them the whole time, having come up to the other side of the bed. She smiled and placed a gentle hand on her grandson's face, and Rose smiled up at her.

"He's perfect." Jackie whispered, voicing what everyone in the room already knew. The Doctor smiled proudly as he looked over his perfect little family. Pete and Tony could not be there, but he knew that they would be coming through the door any moment now. Tony would be exited that he was an uncle, and Pete, in some way, a grandfather.

It was this moment that confirmed once again what the Doctor had already told himself a thousand times: It was all worth it: Having just one life, being trapped in this domestic, parallel world. It was all worth it. They made it worth it. He was so, so blessed; blessed beyond all measure. He had so much more than he could have ever dreamed, and so much more than he deserved.

"What'll you name him?" Jackie's voice once again pierced his thoughts. The Doctor's brow knotted and he looked to Rose. They had discussed several names, but the boy was so early that they never came to an absolute decision.

"Doctor?" She looked back up to him, prompting him to choose. The Doctor looked to his son and said the first name that came to his mind. Somehow he knew that it was the right one.

"David." He said. _Beloved_. For that is what he was. It was a strong, adventurous, brave name: A name that reflected joy and peace and honor and gentleness and love.

"David." Rose repeated with a warm smile in a tone of affection that only a mother could possess. The Doctor knelt by her bedside and cradled both Rose and David in his arms, pressing his face beside hers and holding them in his embrace. He whispered his love to his wife again and they shared another kiss. Jackie pulled a camera out of her purse, but he did not even care. Somehow, even in the months leading up to this moment, none of this had seemed quite real. But it was real. And it was wonderful. His eyes turned back to his little son once more. He leaned forward to press his lips gently against his tiny head again. Rose smiled and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he bent over her.

"I love you, David." He whispered. It had taken him long enough to say it to Rose, he would not waste any time saying it to their son. And he promised that he would never ever stop saying it to either of them, and never stop meaning it with all of his heart. He wished that he could say more. He could sense David's young mind even now. There was a little life inside this tiny, precious, fragile body: A person. The most brilliant person alive. He adored every breath that this little person took and he would continue to do so forever. He hoped that the child knew. He pressed his brow to the tiny brow of his son. Whether from his telepathic ability or simply the blood bond of father and son, he spoke to David. '_You are fantastic.'_ He said '_Absolutely brilliant. You will see the stars and change the world. But most importantly, you are loved. Your mother and I love you, David_.' He addressed the boy by name in his thoughts. "I love you. We love you." He whispered aloud once more.

David laughed.

The Doctor was not positive he could speak perfect baby – the most pure, heartfelt, and personal of all languages – but he was perfectly sure in what he heard. He smiled.

"What did he say?" Rose laughed. She did not think that the Doctor actually knew, but as he looked to her something in his eyes told her that he spoke the truth.

"He says he loves us too." The Doctor smiled, his face a picture of absolute bliss. Rose leaned forward and kissed him one more time for good measure. David made some more noise and the Doctor pulled away with his own laugh.

"Now he says he's hungry."

Rose rolled her eyes and Jackie laughed. Rose pulled her son even closer to her and hugged him and kissed him again. The Doctor smiled – in fact he had not stopped smiling since he had first come in the room, and he was not sure that he would be able to stop any time soon. He might just be stuck like this forever, but that was alright. Because he loved them, and they were wonderful. The fact never ceased to amaze him: He had a family. A real, honest-to-goodness, till-death-do-us-part, one-big-happy family. The one adventure that he could never have was now his life forevermore. He could hardly believe it. Sometimes he wanted to pinch himself to make sure it was still true. But the steady beating of his single heart testified to his being alive, and his very being alive testified to his love for them.

It was truly amazing what being a father did to a man, even if he was more than 900 years old. It would take a lot of getting used to, but the Doctor realized that he wanted to be used to it more than he wanted anything else in the world. He wanted this to be his everyday life. And he realized with one last wave of brilliant ecstasy that it now was.

A million thoughts flew through his head as he considered the wonderful opportunity to watch David grow up and to help him along the way. He saw him striving to even greater heights than his father had; dreaming impossible dreams and achieving them all. He knew the boy would struggle, but he could sense now that it would be worth it. It was always worth it. He was worth it. The Doctor's millions of thoughts and dreams quieted down inside this one idea: Love was worth it. He held it even now in his arms: His Rose and his David, safe and sound. This was what it meant, he realized, to be a father. It meant to know the truest form of love he had ever known.

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><p>AN: I hope you liked it! I've been meaning to write this FOREVER. Obviously this changes a lot for the Tyler-Smith family, but I'm still going to continue to post non-chronological stories. I just thought David's birth should come before any other mention of him. So he will indeed be in other stories now. As for his name: That actually started as a joke when me an my friend Lindelas were creating this character together, but then we couldn't call him anything else, so it stuck. I hope no one minds my tongue-in-cheek being taken as a serious story element, because I really do love the name David for their son.


	8. The Warmth of Winter

A/N: I apologize in advance if this is the cheesiest, most pointless blah thing you will read this holiday. I told myself that I would not be writing a Christmas story this year, though I had planned one about Donna, but then yesterday morning, without any planning, I sat down and wrote this - mostly while listening to Doctor Who at the Proms from last year.

I do hope you like it, I'm dubbing it chapter 8 in my series "Not Domestic". And if you don't like it, please do go read my other Christmas stories (that I wrote last July ) "Not Only In My Dreams" and "Allons-y!"

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><p>Pure warmth engulfed him, the kind of warmth that seemed to soak into his every pore and satisfy every fiber of his being; the kind that filled his senses yet at the same time heightened them to every other feeling, turning each sensation into perfect comfort. Peace, unbroken and unadulterated, surrounded him in this moment. There were no monsters, no disasters, and no worries in the world. There was just him and the peace and the warmth.<p>

The warmth did have a name: A beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful person: One that he had the very high honor of calling his wife. Her name was Rose Tyler, and he was still amazed at the rush of absolute adoring love and all-fulfilling warmth that surged in his single heart each and every time he heard her name: Rose Tyler. Or, technically, Rose Smith. Although he never called her that it was an honor that she accepted from the rest of the world gladly, for she loved him just the same and wanted them all to know.

At this particular moment she lay happily beside him, his arm wrapped lovingly about her shoulders as he rested against her. Both were wonderfully lost together in a deep sleep, held safe in each other's warmth through one of the coldest nights of the year.

It really was astonishing that they were afforded this peaceful respite, for it was not only one of the coldest, but normally for them one of the most dangerous nights of the year. Perhaps that was one other blessing of Pete's World; there seemed to be less of a threat here, or perhaps that was just him: He was, for once, more content to stay safe at home with his family than to run off looking for trouble. Others could handle that. And thankfully, this year at least, no trouble had come to find him. Or at least none so far. He and Rose had their fair share of adventure and danger for sure, but tonight of all nights it was a true blessing to be wrapped, as they were, in the warmth and peace of Christmas Eve.

Nevertheless, even this peace could not last all night long: The other differences in Pete's world were about to find them.

_*thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump*_

The quick, muffled sound somehow brought him out of his slumber. He was not unhappy to wake, but it took his tired eyes a long while to focus as he looked up to note that it was only just now four in the morning.

He heard the thumping again, and somehow realized what it was. Someone – two someones - were coming down the stairs. Some part of his brain realized what this meant, although he was not sure that it was the conscious part. Leaning gently forward, he softly placed the lightest of kisses on his wife's smooth cheek, just beside her ear. "Good morning, my love." He whispered fondly. His tender touch and quiet voice slowly caused her to stir; bringing Rose to join him in the world of the waking just in time to prepare her for what the Doctor knew was coming next. Neither of them was quite awake, but it no longer mattered.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" A shout of pure joy broke into the air, shattering the pair's slumber just in time to warn them of the small body that quickly flung itself atop them both, landing with another exclamation of joy accompanied by a distinct '_Ohmf_!' from his father. Apparently four in the morning was quite long enough for the child to wait, and quite long enough for the couple's tranquil sleep to last.

"Merry Christmas!" Another blessed, innocent voice exclaimed as another child clambered up onto the bed, crawling quickly to join her brother in the joyous Christmas ritual of parent-waking that was seemingly required of all children their age.

The Doctor could not help but smile when he heard their voices, and neither could Rose. Laying partly over his wife, he took the full force of his son's happy assault. As he turned over to catch the bouncing boy his daughter quickly wriggled her way in between her parents and was even now in her mother's warm yet sleepy embrace.

Their peace may have been broken, but their warmth had not, and it continued to grow with each loving embrace.

"Merry Christmas, David." The Doctor told his son as he hugged the exited boy, who ran next to switch places with his sister by diving into his mother's arms. As if they had coordinated the move, the Doctor soon found his precious daughter wrapped in his arms. "Merry Christmas, Piper!" He kissed the top of her head as Rose fondly echoed his sentiments to their children, pulling each one tight in her embrace and ruffling David's messy brown hair.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy!" Piper's sweet voice rang out. The Doctor smiled even wider. Of all the titles he had ever possessed, he was quite sure that 'Daddy' was his favorite of all.

"Oh-Ho!" The Doctor let out the happy sort of growl that daddys make, and his children giggled and his wife laughed as he sat up to pull all three of them into his embrace at once. "Merry Christmas!" He said again, hugging them tight.

"Merry Christmas!" Rose followed cheerfully, hugging her family just as tight, and kissing her children's cheeks with a grin. As the Doctor released his embrace she then grabbed him by his shirt and pulled herself up to capture his lips with her own. She could feel him smile against her as he came to wrap his arms about her shoulders, holding her close.

A synchronized "_Eeeeww!_" surrounded them. But they did not care. They remained locked in each other's kiss for a long moment, before finally coming apart for the sole purpose of admiring each other's beautiful smile.

In another moment their children were upon them again, joyously grabbing each parent by the hand and attempting to drag them both out of bed. The four were soon laughing all around as they came out into the living room, all in their robes and pajamas, with the Doctor in a Santa Clause hat, to witness the miracle that Santa himself had brought down the chimney.

"See," Said the Doctor, "I told you he'd come."

Almost all of the presents they themselves had set out, but there were a few nicely wrapped boxes that no one in the room recognized, for the Doctor was friends with the real Santa Clause himself.

His children gasped to see the gifts and ran to the Christmas tree, each taking a bright package in hand, and began reading tags and sorting through.

He sat down on the couch to watch them, sharing all of their excitement. Rose yawned and came up behind him. "You told me once that you were Father Christmas." She toyed with the tassel of his hat and then draped her tired arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder.

He smiled, taking her hands in his and pressing the side of his face to her own in a sort of neck-hug. "Maybe I am…" He said again. "Really, though, I've done it before – Old Saint Nick needs a break sometimes, and more specifically, needed his transport fixed. I get him a bit of timey-wimey help and he let me come along! Did you really think that flying reindeer alone could get him across the globe in a night?" He said.

Rose laughed to hear him talk of the supposedly mythical man as if he were an old friend – it was something that he and he alone could manage.

"He's a nice chap. Maybe next year we can catch a ride and help him!" The Doctor cheered. 'The kids would love that!"

"Sounds great!" Rose hugged him once more, kissed his cheek, and then stood back up straight, running a hand lightly across his shoulders as she went toward the kitchen to put some water on to boil for tea, or, as the Doctor would probably suggest, hot chocolate. She returned with a camera to find the Doctor sitting on the floor between David and Piper, looking altogether like the utter child he was.

"Say cheese!" Rose cheered, raising the camera. They smiled up at her, the Doctor hugging his children again. Rose smiled as she was reminded again just how blessed she was. Jackie, Pete, and Tony would be over for dinner; all thanks to the Doctor, her family was more complete than she ever hoped it could be. And thanks to Rose, the Doctor had a family too.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" The three of them shouted to the camera as Rose snapped the picture. And a merry Christmas it was.

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><p>AN: Oh, and I hope you like the little one's names. Those both started as a joke with a friend, but I really do like them. You might know David already - and once I named him David, it was only a small step for Piper (because I didn't really like "Billie" as much). A bit of tongue-in-cheek, but I hope you don't mind!

Oh yes, And I know that I've probably absolutely butchered all references to Santa Clause/Father Christmas/Saint Nicholas. Yes I know that they are different, I'm sorry. (My parents actually never lied to be about Santa, we never played that game, so this wasn't actually from experience.) And I know from Harry Potter that people often say "Happy" Christmas and not "Merry".. I'm not a Brit, ok! I wish I was but I'm not, so you'll have to forgive me - I do try. "Ambitious, but Rubbish!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours!

(For those wondering, the next chapter of the Year that Might Have Been is still due up this evening.)


	9. Teenage Dream

A/N: Wow, so it's been a while. Sorry about that. Also sorry if this chapter is a bit rubbish, as, well, it's been a while. Despite the time gap, this story still seems really rushed. But anyway, the stuff you REALLY need to know is this: This story was inspired by a video on YouTube (plug in "/watch?v=yAUMU3QQE6w") of Boyce Avenue's version of a certain Katy Perry song. They've altered the lyrics, and I like their version a lot better (I'm not a fan of the original), but if I say too much more I'll spoil something big. And yes, I know that stuff like this has been done before. I just saw the video and couldn't resist. I hope you like it!

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><p>Rose looked back up and sighed. When had it come to this?<p>

She looked at the woman before her – not a young woman, she noted sadly. She had been trying to ignore that for so long. Every once in a while she would wake up late in the morning still feel unrested, and she would remember. The Doctor would have already left the room, though he normally stayed until she was up, and she would roll out of bed and shuffle over towards the bathroom. She would look up into the mirror, just as she was doing now, and she would sigh. Every time she tried to shove the feelings away, to ignore them, belittle them, even laugh them off. But every time it got a bit harder.

She tucked a stray strand of her dark gold hair behind her ear as she looked longer at the girl – no, _woman_, she reminded herself again – in the mirror. She looked herself up and down. Shoulders slumped, pajamas crumpled, hair an absolute mess. She was not very out of shape, what with all of the running, but the way she saw herself now she looked particularly sluggish and weak. Perhaps they were running less often now. Perhaps that's just what life did to a person. She didn't know. What she did know was simply enough said, but the implications scared her, and she did not want to utter those words. Still she knew from the image before her and from the feeling deep in her heart that she could not deny it too much longer. She was getting old.

Not very old, mind you, but old_er_. It was odd – aging was something that happened every second of every day. Every morning she woke up a day older than the last. And yet she would never get used to it. When had she gotten this old? She tried to laugh at herself again for a moment and reminded herself that one day she would look back at this very moment and remember how young she had been.

Nevertheless, she had never imagined herself being this old. She wondered if anyone ever did. Children often imagine growing up, but they never imagine this. Teenagers imagine being 21, but they don't ever think about the day they will wake up and find themselves to be fully 45. Not even she could imagine the day when she woke up and discovered herself to be 60, 70, or even 80 years old. It was a wonder she had made it this far, she laughed a bit again. It would be a miracle if she ended up dying of old age.

Unlike most people, however, Rose never had to stop and ask herself where those years of her life had gone, or wish that she could get them back. She knew exactly how they had been spent: In her very own fairy tale. Ever since she was 19, her life had been an adventure. There had been hardship and loss, but so much more joy and love. All of time and space were hers to spend with her amazing husband, and for the last several amazing years, their growing family as well. Fairy tales always ended with happily ever afters, and Rose knew that she had one of those. But the story books never included this part of ever after – the part where the princess gets older, and there's nothing she can do to stop it.

She looked up to the mirror again and leaned in close to inspect her own face. She stretched the skin under her eyes and around her mouth and rubbed her hand over her jaw and her forehead. She looked into her own eyes and wondered what mysteries others saw there. She could never see much in them herself. As she straightened back up she ran her fingers through her hair. She needed to have it colored again, her roots were awful, and she enjoyed being blonde. She smiled. The Doctor liked it too.

She wondered what he thought of her. Of her getting old. She wondered if he still thought she was beautiful – or as beautiful as before. He had told her time and time again that he would love her no matter what, and she believed him. He proved his love completely by being willing to go through the same – to age and wither and eventually die. She wondered how he could stand it – how in the world he could give up so much for her, give up practical immortality, just to trade it in for being _human_. The very word sounded disgusting as she looked at herself in the mirror. He seemed to fancy it, but she still wondered if he ever wished that they were both Time Lords instead.

Sighing one last time, she turned to go get dressed properly and get ready to go find out what her husband was up to. Today was Saint Valentine's Day, but she half wondered if he even remembered. Living in a time machine made keeping up with dates very complicated. She was glad that their children – who were growing up faster than she could ever imagine – had some amount of Time Lord genes. She was pretty sure it was the only thing that let their young minds keep up so well with their crazy, exiting, complicated lives aboard the TARDIS. They were both with their grandparents and Uncle Tony at the moment, gone to see a movie and catch up with her little brother, who she could hardly believe was nearly all grown up.

What Rose didn't know was that this morning her husband had, in fact, remembered the date. And that he stood in the door way watching her with a small smile. He had woken up early and spent over an hour simply holding her in his arms as she slept. He turned off their alarm before it went off and slipped out of the room to let her sleep while he made breakfast.

He had come back to their room to ask her if she would rather have bananas, strawberries, blueberries, or chocolate chips in her pancakes, when he stopped at the door. He caught sight of her in the mirror, although she did not see him. She was gorgeous. He watched her scrutinize her own appearance and noticed her frown. But all he could think of was how stunningly beautiful she was. He heard her sigh once more and realized with a small sigh of his own that she could not see it. She could not see what he saw. Then he got an idea. He smiled to himself as he slipped away from the door and decided that the pancakes could wait.

As Rose finished getting dressed she checked the clock once more. It was practically midday. Why had the Doctor let her sleep so long? It was a weekend, that was true, but still. In the back of her mind she wondered about getting older. She wondered if he had planned a trip for them while the kids were gone – they did have all of time and space available. Their little family had vowed to stay as perfectly relative to each other's time lines as they could – neither of them want to skip a single second of their children's growing up – but they did have all weekend to spend.

Just as Rose tied her hair back and looked herself over in the mirror one last time, she heard a noise. It was a rather beautiful noise, and one she had not heard in quite a while. It was the sound of a piano being played. Simple chords in an even simpler progression. She knew that the Doctor could play, and play well. But he had not graced the TARDIS halls with his music for some time. She smiled as she heard the first sign of her husband that she had heard all morning, and quickly made her way out into the hall in search of the music and the amazing man that made it.

The chords continued simply, as if the Doctor was practicing a little tune that he had never played before, or one that he was remembering from very long ago. They became more confident as he heard her shut the bedroom door. As he heard her footsteps coming down the hall, he opened his mouth in song. Rose stopped short in the hallway when she heard his softly whispered words.

"_I think you're pretty without any make up on_." The Doctor softly sang in a gentle melody, striking even gentler chords. Rose could only stand still for a moment, her mouth hanging open, as his beautiful voice washed over her, bringing her the exact words that she needed to hear. "_I think you're funny when you tell the punch line wrong_." She almost thought that she recognized the song from long ago, but no, that couldn't be the song he was singing. That was not his type of song, and this – this was so gentle and soft.

The Doctor continued, "_I knew you got me when you let your walls come down – down_." He smiled, but still did not turn from his work, his fingers dancing gracefully over the ebonies and ivories. Rose took careful, silent steps down the hall towards him, unsure if he was aware of her presence. She was still curious about his song, as she realized that she knew it, sort of, but the way he sang it was like nothing she had ever heard before.

"_Before you met me I was alright but things were kinda heavy – you brought me to life,_" The Doctor's smile widened as he remembered that first night when he had taken her hand and told her '_Run_!' It had changed him and saved him in more ways than either of them could ever know. And it continued to bless him every minute of every day. "_Now every February you'll be my Valentine – Valentine._" He had never much liked Valentine 's Day, until he met her. She was a miracle to him, and he could not believe that she was his to cherish forever more. The song seemed perfectly written for them – well, this part did anyway. The rest of it he was unsure about – it was not what he wanted to emphasize, not what he wanted to say. So he changed the words to mean exactly what he felt.

Rose at last came up behind him as he went on. She stopped silently in the door way and watched him, his back to her, as he played on the grand piano. "_Let's just talk all through the night. There's no need to rush_." The Doctor closed his eyes and moved his head with the gentle flow of the music, remembering fondly all of the nights he had spent holding the love of his life in his arms, simply talking and listening to her talk. It brought a warm smile to his face. "_We can dance until we die. You and I – We'll be young forever."_

Rose wondered for not the first time if her husband could actually read her mind. He knew exactly what troubled her, and he was here to say that no matter what, he loved her more every day. Both of them thought back to their wedding day, and slowly dancing alone on the floor, secure in each other's arms. She remembered how tightly and gently he held her, how he pressed soft kisses to her brow as she leaned against his chest, her eyes closed, letting his single heart beat fill her ears with music. His song made her want to dance again. She closed her eyes and smiled as he reached the chorus.

"_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream, the way you turn me on, I can't sleep – let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back!_" Rose smile widened with his as he poured his heart out in song and let his fingers dance freely over the keys, striking chord after chord and growing the accompaniment, making it up as he went along. Rose had never particularly cared for the original version of this song, but this – this was something else entirely. "_My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch, now baby I believe – this is real. So take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back_!" Suddenly all of the doubts she had felt earlier began to melt away. It did not matter how old she got, he would always love her, and she would always be beautiful to him. And for her, that was enough.

"_When you're around me, life's like a movie scene."_ The Doctor sang, and Rose almost laughed. "_I wasn't happy until you became my queen_." Rose was reminded once more what a blessed happily ever after they had. "_I finally found you; my missing puzzle piece._" The Doctor sang on. "_I'm complete_." He opened his eyes at last and looked up. Rose took the opportunity, and prayed that she would not stop him or ruin the moment. She came gently up behind him and placed her hands on the Doctor's shoulders. A huge grin spread across his face as he looked up to her in pure joy, still playing on the keys. "Good morning." He said softly. Looking at him practically upside down, she noticed the funny little creases around his eyes and the growing lines in his brow. He looked just as old as she did – they were in this together – and he was beautiful.

Rose smiled back at him and leaned down to kiss her husband gently. "Don't stop." She whispered, and he nodded, still having not ceased to play. She rubbed his shoulders fondly and he leaned back against her as he continued. She loved listening to him sing. She also wanted to see what he would do with the rest of the song – he was not the type to sing about skin-tight jeans to say the least. And she wouldn't want him to do so – because that was not what mattered.

"_Let's just talk all through the night, there's no need to rush. We can dance until we die. You and I – We'll be young forever._" The Doctor sang again, and began another chorus. When he finished it he continued with his altered lyrics. "_I'mma get your heart racing if that's what you need in this teenage dream tonight._" He sang with a smile as she rubbed his shoulders fondly. "_Let you rest your head on me if that's what you need in this teenage dream tonight – tonight…tonight…"_ The Doctor's voice quieted and slowed, as did his piano playing. Rose leaned down to wrap her arms about his chest and rest her head on his shoulder, her hair draping down on his arm. "Tonight." He whispered again. She pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his neck as he played quiet chords.

"_Yeah_!" The Doctor sang louder than he had before, and Rose smiled to hear it so close – she could feel the music in the skilled motion of his arms and the vibrations in his chest and neck as she leaned on him. She hugged him as he sang on. "_You make me feel like I'm living in a teenage dream! The way you turn me on. I can't sleep, let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back!_" her eyes were closed and a peaceful smile was upon her face as she remembered being a teenager and running away with him. She had been 19, he had looked completely different, and they were in a different world. And yet she would do it all again in a heartbeat. But here, holding him close, both having lived for years and years together in each other's love, she realized that this was even better than her wildest teenage dreams.

"_My heart stops when you look at me –_ " The Doctor grinned and looked to his wife, who kissed his cheek again. "_Just one touch and baby I believe_!" He cheered. "_This is real. So take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever – I'mma get your heart racing if that's what you need in this teenage dream tonight._" Rose stood up with a smile, rubbing her hands over his chest as she did so, and took her seat next to him on the piano bench as he finished up his song. _"- Let you rest your head on me if that's what you need in this teenage dream tonight, tonight, tonight_." The Doctor smiled as he played the last chord. Rose's head now rested against his shoulder, just like he had offered in his song. "Tonight." He whispered one last time, pressing a gentle kiss into her hair. They both smiled fondly as she looked up to him. Rose was the first to speak.

"That was beautiful." She said, her voice spell-bound and gloriously in love.

"You're beautiful." He returned simply and honestly, with a smile that filled his eyes and both of their hearts. "We might not be young forever, Rose." He said seriously. Over the last decade he had learned what it meant to be human better than most people would ever understand. "But you know what?" He wrapped his arms around her and turned towards her, placing his forehead against her and cradling her in his embrace.

"Hmm?" Rose asked with a blissful smile as she comfortably returned his hold.

"You'll always be my dream – more than I could ever hope for or imagine." He said softly and she smiled. "My Rose."

"My Doctor." She replied with a heavenly sigh. For a while they simply sat there holding each other. Rose breathed in his familiar scent and everything about him, soaking in the love that he practically radiated for her, held secure in his warm embrace.

"Oh, and I was meaning to ask you earlier, Rose…" The Doctor at last broke the comfortable silence.

"Hmm?" She replied again.

"Do you want pancakes?"

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><p>AN2: Once again, sorry for the stolen lyrics. I don't know who to attribute them to, as it's part Perry's and part Boyce Avenue's. Go watch the video. But the song on iTunes. (shameless plug!) - and once again, I'm very sorry if this chapter sucks. My brain wasn't really on full cylinders when I wrote or edited it. And yes, I know I probably should have posted this around Valentine's day, not now, in April... at least it's not ANOTHER Christmas fic :P!


	10. A Jolly Holiday

PLEASE read this note!: For those who are unaware, I've official begun posting a continuation story of "Happily Every After". (Chapter 2 of this fic). It is currently 4 chapters long, but I've got at least 2 or 3 more waiting to be posted. So if you like Not Domestic PLEASE go look up my new story "Our Happily Ever After"! I've been meaning to share this with you all for quite some time.

That being said, I hate it when people make new chapters on old fics just to give you an A/N, SO I've written you another (very) short fic to try and make up for my appalling absence on this! I'm sorry! I got busy and I started writing for FMA. I NEED to get back to Doctor/Rose though. I wrote this up in a matter of about 2 hours, so I hope you enjoy it! I'm sorry for all the music themed fics... (This is set around the same time at the last one)

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><p>Rose huffed and shifted the heavy bags in her arms again. It had been a long day, to say the least. Days like this were never the nicest, but today had been particularly frustrating.<p>

It hard started with a phone call from the office over breakfast. Nothing too major, no invasions or anything reality threatening, but they had insisted on her coming in – on a Saturday no less! – for whatever emergency had struck Torchwood today. Normally they would ask both of them to come, and since they weren't asking for _him_ Rose knew that this was probably something to do less with extra-terrestrials and more with extra paperwork.

He had offered to zip her over there, their house was the most mobile house anyone had ever seen, but she insisted on taking the car instead. He kept forgetting that they had one. She never liked taking the TARDIS grocery shopping, and she had some things to pick up on the way home.

He had kissed her a fond goodbye in the doorway, and she had ordered him not to get into any trouble and to have fun with the kids. The mischievous smile that had come upon his face at that last instruction had not boded well for the keeping of the first.

She had been proved right when she got to work; it was all something to do with an intergalactic passport mix up, and they needed someone connected to a working translation circuit to deal with the family of Zorastrins that had taken a wrong turn and wound up on the planet last week.

Zorastrins weren't unfriendly people, but they did not do well with verbal communication, and neither human nor even Time Lord were equipped with good enough eyes to make use of their normal communication pathways, which had to do with flashing colors across their palms in an exceedingly quick rate. In any case, Rose had thought she saw the last of them two days ago, and it took a very, very long time to get them sorted. She was going to simply skip the grocery store on the way home, but they were out of milk, and that was simply unacceptable.

And so, after a very, very long day Rose finally made her way back to the Tyler Estate and walked round to the back garden, where stood a large blue box, in its normal spot. She shifted her grocery's to the other arm and fished out the key.

As soon as the door was open the heavy bags were lifted from her arms. Before Rose knew what was happening she found herself pulled through the door by two small pairs of hands to a sweet duet of "Mummy!" from both sides. She gave quick hugs as the children hurried off to put up the groceries. It entered her mind that their father must have promised them something special, for they never worked this quickly.

The moment the door shut behind her Rose's guess was confirmed and the entire room lurched up with a great _VWORP!_ and came down again with a jolt. Despite her long day, Rose could not help but laugh at this merry greeting. She looked up to see the ship's captain grinning from ear to ear.

"What have you been doing?" Rose could not help but laugh. "I leave you three alone for one day!"

"We watched a movie!" Piper piped up as they ran off.

"_Shh_!" her brother countered quickly, and failed to muffle his "It's a surprise!" as they ran down the hall.

"Oh?" Rose turned back to her pinstriped husband whose smile must have stretched a mile wide as he ran around the console flipping switches and turning nobs.

"So where are we-" Rose came up to the console to find the target destination, but both her question and her search were cut short as her husband's lips found hers and claimed them greedily as his own.

"Surprise" He told her, turning her so he was between her and the console. "Welcome home." The TARDIS gave another bumpy rumble, and he broke their kiss with a curt "Sit." Which Rose found herself obeying.

The TARDIS gave another heavy jerk as she landed, and before she had even finished settling the Doctor excitedly pulled Rose back up and brought her to the threshold just before the door. He stopped her there and turned to see the look on her face. They had done this countless times before but every time it was the same. He could tell she could not wait to see what lay outside the TARDIS doors, and she could tell that he could not wait to show her.

"Before we go I need to ask you a question." The Doctor's hands were at her waist and her on his lapels.

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow and gave him a teasing smile. She knew he was probably going to ask he if she had ever been anywhere like the place they were about to go. He liked doing that. The question she heard, however, was nothing like that.

"Have you ever been called Marion?"

"What?!" Rose's brow knotted and she almost backed out of his arms, but stopped. "Why?"

"It's your middle name." The Doctor told her, as if she did not know. "Have you ever gone by Mary? Can I call you that?" His questions were rapid-fire, skipping with anticipation but stalling from opening the door.

"What's wrong with Rose?" She questioned back.

"Nothing!" The Doctor insisted, looking hurt at the thought that he might dislike her name. "I love Rose! It's a beautiful name! But…"

David and Piper, now eight and six respectively, ran giggling back into the console room as Rose pressed him further "But what?"

The Doctor put on his pouty face. "It doesn't rhyme."

Rose's brow knotted once more. "With what?"

The mile-wide smile returned as bright sunlight flooded into the room. David had thrown the doors open and Rose had only a moment to take in their location before the Doctor acted and answered. They were in a large green space, a garden with flowers and sunshine and trees, but also with people all around. They had all stopped to stare at the big blue box, but now were staring at its occupants as they came flying out.

"Oh!" The Doctor grabbed her hand and her waist and took a great step out the door. "It's a jolly holiday with Mary!" A smile that mirrored his own broke out on Rose's face as he led her in a large foxtrot. "Mary makes your heart so light!" He paid absolutely no heed to those around him, only to the woman in his arms. "When the day is gray and ordinary Mary makes the sun shine bright!" He sang.

Rose could not help but laugh out loud now as she did her best to follow his steps. From the dress of the people around them he had brought her back to Victorian England: Central Park London, 1910, is she had to guess (And she had gotten pretty good at guessing, even if she did say so herself) They all seemed dressed in the Sunday best, out for a stroll with umbrellas and hats, and stood ogling the loud dancing pair that had appeared out of nowhere into their midst.

"Oh happiness is blooming all around her." The Doctor sang on, doing his best not to laugh. He had to remember the words "The daffodils are smiling at the dove!" At this part the Doctor nearly tripped over a flower patch, and swerved to avoid a young lady beside it, but did not stop singing.

"When Mary holds your hand" He gave hers a tight squeeze, "You feel so grand." He stopped and she almost ran into him "Your heart starts beating like a big brass band!" He pulled her closer and stopped to press her hand to his single beating heart.

Rose could not stop laughing now. Everyone was staring at them. David and Piper were running behind, clapping and singing along with their father, obviously told by him to behave, and not a hint of regret or insincerity flickered past his shining eyes. Only the Doctor could pull something this cheesy off and it still be the sweetest thins she had ever come home to.

"No wonder that it's Mary that we love!" The Doctor cheered, moving their dance to the shade of a low tree "No wonder that it's..." He took a step closer and Rose found the tree at her back "Mary that we…" His left hand moved to her face. "Love!" Both of them were laughing as his lips collided with hers again.

"Does this make you Bert, Doctor?" She giggled as he trailed kisses from her lips to her ear.

He shook his head against her "Never. Besides I like Rose better." He said in between kisses as he made his way back to her mouth.

"Me too." Her arms were wrapped about his neck now and his about her shoulders. They were both sure that the strangers around them were more aghast than ever at their actions, but neither of them really cared. Time and place seemed not to matter much anymore. Almost nothing could take their attention from each other.

One thing however could.

"Daddy?" David tugged on the back of his father's suit jacket, and despite how captured his attention was by Rose he stopped immediately to heed the boy.

"Hmm?" They both looked down to see David nearly hiding behind them, and his sister behind him.

What their son asked them would put a stop to their celebration of life and love for today (thought it began again when they got home and put both children to bed), but was the start of another great adventure in the Tyler-Smith house.

"Daddy," David asked, "Why is that statue moving?" The Doctor's eyes went wide.

"Don't blink!"

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><p>(For the lost: The ending of this story is a tribute to the Broadway version of this song, which featured a dancing statue, as opposed to penguins :) )<p> 


End file.
